I always loved Leia in the OT because she was a strong female character. THen came along the PT, and there was another one - a queen at a young age, a fighter, putting her life at risk, all qualities that make for a strong leader. However, in RotS, she kinda goes *boom* when Anakin turns bad.

That's what I'm mainly referring to. It's a very male-centric idea - your man is dead, so there's no reason to live - even with two brand new kids! It doesn't portray her as the figher we've seen previously.

It is not unreasonable for a mother to choose her man over her children. It happens all the time in real life. With that in mind, choosing to die over living with her kids, knowing that the Jedi Temple is destroyed and the events that will unfold thanks to the new empire might of all lead to that.

Regardless, lets face the facts, Lucas was a bit weak with this. How do you "choose" to die...

She was supposed to be a role model? She knew it was wrong to form a romantic relationship with a Jedi but did it anyways, and their lust for each other ultimately destroyed them both. It's not every day that a young woman on our planet is faced with an attachnment to a Jedi.

Not that I am condoning Padme's reaction but this is my take on her death. She may have given up the will to live because she understood that Anakin's fall was due mainly to her. He kept telling her that he wanted to save her and that he would. Since Padme is so intune to people's actions and how they affect others (I would hope that comes from being a politician) she may have put all the blame on herself. Afterall, she was the one who gave in to Anakin's professions of love for her and allowed this forbidden romance. If she thinks that she is the cause of Anakin's fall she may also consider herself responsible for the deaths of the jedi. I don't think someone with Padme's sensibilities would want to live with themselves if they think they caused that kind of chaos.

The one thing that bugged me was the fact that she gave up on the will to live. She just had two kids for jolly's sake!

Folks, she lost the will to live before she gave birth to the kids. SHE WAS GOING TO DIE. They had to operate to get the kids out of her. It's not like she gave birth then said, "Okay, I'm going to die now." She was going to die, give birth or no.

[blockquote][link=http://boards.theforce.net/user.asp?usr=~Ã´Â¿Ã´~]~Ã´Â¿Ã´~[/link] posted on 5/31/05 9:32am[hr]Don't get me wrong, I'm not this crazy feminist, but as someone who has been through some pretty devastating breakups, her actions here just really bugged me.
[hr][/blockquote]Were the breakups immediately following giving birth to two babies under extremelly stressful conditions, after being choked to an inch of your life by the man that you love more than anything else(right after he told you of his plans to take over a brutal dictatorship)?

It's not that I don't believe in it- I just think that it's a weak excuse. Especially if she still felt that there was some good in him.

And while many women do chose their husband over their children, again, it is something generally weak women do. There is the understanding that when you have children, you have a little bit of your husband/mate/whateveryouwanttocallhim through them.

To me it seemed out of character that she would give up, rather than stay strong to protect her children and do what she can to try to find the good in Anakin, even at a distance.

Folks, she lost the will to live before she gave birth to the kids.
But she still knew that she was going to have the kids before she lost the will to live.

Were the breakups immediately following (...etc)?

No, and I'm not saying my situtation was ever like hers. However, I am saying that her actions left some question as to how she is as a role model, as compared to her roles in the other two movies, where she was a much stronger person.

[blockquote][link=http://boards.theforce.net/user.asp?usr=DarthSapient][hl=Yellow] DarthSapient[/hl][/link] posted on 5/31/05 9:27am[hr] Perhaps she didn't lose the will to live so much as she was in symbiance with Anakin.
[hr][/blockquote]

The only reason she dies is so Anakin can have it shoved in hsi face that all his evil-doing STILL hasn't saved her, so all he has left is his hate and anger... he has destroyed everything else to save her and now she is dead through a convenient plot device.

Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme are the "Han, Luke, and Leia" of the Prequel Trilogy, the three major characters. It's sad to see a major character like Padme die in such a weak manner. I would rather have seen her give the twins over to Bail and Obi-Wan, and then die fighting, maybe at the helm of a starfighter. She could have gone out in a blaze of glory, in a way worthy of the mother of Luke and Leia.

And by the way, can anyone picture LEIA "losing the will to live" if Han Solo betrayed her? No way. Leia is a fiesty, tough, intelligent hero. Even after giving birth, Leia would have hunted Han down like a dog, and then kept on leading the rebellion.

Well, there were other ways that she could have died without making her lose her stance as a role model. Not to mention that she didn't even have to be dead in order for Anakin to think she is. If he believed that he killed her when he didn't, there's reason to believe that he'd accept that she was dead when she really wasn't. Palps basically owns him - he'll believe most anything he says.